Politics and disengagement: Two-in-five say there's “no room” for compromise in Canada; most say their interests are ignored - Angus Reid Institute | Canada News Media
Fewer than half say Canada has a “good system of government”
February 4, 2022 – Scenes of anger, defiance and resentment on the streets of Ottawa this week appear to be symptomatic of a broader sense of disengagement and frustration with the state of Canadian democracy, according to new data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute.
This latest ARI study finds Canadians equally divided over whether the country can be accurately described as having a “good system of government”; 42 per cent do, 45 per cent do not.
And while some may argue that the collaboration required in a minority government is a feature of the nation’s democracy and not a bug, the sense is that partisanship and politics may be preventing the type of cooperation that would produce better results for constituents.
Indeed, 37 per cent of Canadians feel that there is no room for political compromise these days in Canada. This proportion is highest in the more conservative core of the country, in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Beyond those areas of anticipated criticism, however, are significant portions of the country across the political spectrum that do not feel well-represented in Ottawa.
In no region of the country do a majority of residents say that they feel the federal government cares about issues important to them. Quebecers are most bullish on this question, with 41 per cent saying they feel heard by Ottawa. Notably, seven-in-ten past Liberal voters (69%) say that this government cares about issues that matter to them, followed by two-in-five of those who supported the NDP (40%) and Bloc Québécois (39%) in September, and just 11 per cent of past CPC voters.
More Key Findings:
Fewer than half (47%) of 18- to 34-year-old men say Canada is a country they are proud to live in. For all other demographics, at least two-thirds say so.
Women over the age of 55 are the only demographic group where at least half (51%) feels like the federal government is attuned to issues they feel are important.
One-third (34%) of Canadians believe elections are becoming less free and fair, more than the number (23%) who believe instead that aspect of democracy is strengthening.
About ARI
The Angus Reid Institute (ARI) was founded in October 2014 by pollster and sociologist, Dr. Angus Reid. ARI is a national, not-for-profit, non-partisan public opinion research foundation established to advance education by commissioning, conducting and disseminating to the public accessible and impartial statistical data, research and policy analysis on economics, political science, philanthropy, public administration, domestic and international affairs and other socio-economic issues of importance to Canada and its world.
INDEX
Part One: Two-in-five believe there’s no room for political compromise in Canada
Three-in-five believe the federal government ignores issues important to them
Part Two: More believe electoral system is weakening than becoming stronger
CPC, NDP voters critical of direction of democratic influence
Few believe Canada is immune to ‘Trump-style politics’
Part Three: Canadians disagree over quality of their system of government
Younger Canadians more disillusioned with government
Non-Liberal voters more likely to take issue with Canada’s system of government
Part One: Two-in-five believe there’s no room for political compromise in Canada
Divide and division have become common words used in Canadian politics of late. When Erin O’Toole stepped down this week as party leader of the Conservatives after being ousted by a majority vote of party MPs, he asked the next leader to recognize Canada “is divided and people are worried.”
Little wonder then, that a significant segment of Canadians believe political discourse in this country is devoid of compromise. While just under half (48%) disagree, two-in-five (37%) are of the view that when it comes to talking politics, Canadians have retreated to their corners and are refusing to move.
That feeling is strongest in Alberta and Saskatchewan, where at least two-in-five believe political compromise is lacking in the country, but at least one-third in all regions believe this is the case:
Women are more likely than men to believe there is room for politicians with differing views to work together, while at least two-in-five of men of all ages believe there is no space for political accommodation (see detailed tables).
Echoing the divisiveness in Canada cited by their former leader, past Conservative voters are more likely to believe there is significant political discord in the country – half (48%) say this. While past voters of Canada’s other major parties are more likely to believe there is a middle ground, at least three-in-ten of partisans of all stripes believe there is no room for political compromise:
Three-in-five believe the federal government ignores issues important to them
As a significant minority believes political compromise is unattainable, many are disillusioned with the federal government itself. Three-in-five (59%) believe Ottawa does not care about issues that are important to them.
This is the majority opinion across the country and the sentiment of three-quarters in Alberta (73%) and Saskatchewan (76%). Those in Quebec (41%) and B.C. (39%) are most likely to feel heard by Ottawa:
Women over the age of 55 are the only group where half (51%) feel like the federal government is attuned to issues they feel are important. For every other demographic, more believe Ottawa does not care about their key issues than the opposite, including seven-in-ten men under the age of 55:
The Liberals have formed government since 2015, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau led the party to a majority government in his first election as leader. Still, one-quarter (25%) of those who voted Liberal in the 2021 election say they don’t believe the federal government cares about the issues they believe are important. This may be emblematic of a disconnect between the party and its supporters, or a consequence of strategic voting, which has aided the Liberals in the past two elections. For past supporters of the rest of the major political parties, a majority believe this, including nearly all (88%) of those who voted Conservative last fall:
Part Two: More believe electoral system is weakening than becoming stronger
ARI asked Canadians whether a series of significant pillars of strong democracies – the equal application of the rule of law, free and fair elections, protection of human rights, ease of participation in politics, and the concept that power lies with the people – were strengthening or weakening in this country.
On some measures – human rights, ease of participation – more Canadians believe the country has improved than worsened. On others, more Canadians believe the pillars are eroding than standing strong.
One-third (34%) believe there has been damage to the country’s free and fair elections compared to the one-quarter (23%) who believe this aspect of democracy has instead been bolstered. Half (51%) believe the power of the average Canadian is decreasing.
Finally, a majority (53%) believe there has been a weakening when it comes to the equal application of the rule of law. This, notably, as some wonder about the differences in treatment of participants in the “Freedom Convoy” as compared to how past demonstrations by Indigenous and Black Canadians have bene handled.
Across the country, there is significant belief that some of these key tenets of democracy are weakening. That feeling is strongest in Alberta, where two-thirds (67%) believe the equal application of the rule of law is waning and three-in-five (58%) believe elections aren’t as free and fair as they used to be. Only in Quebec does the number of people who believe Canada has strengthened its electoral system (28%) outnumber those who say the opposite (21%):
CPC, NDP voters critical of direction of democratic influence
Young men, and particularly those under the age of 35, are most likely to believe Canada has lost ground on the equal application of the law, human rights, ease of participation in politics, and keeping the power with the people. As well, almost half (46%) of 18- to 34-year-old men say elections have become less free and fair (see detailed tables).
For three of the five of the key tenets presented to respondents, past Liberal voters are more likely to say they are strengthening than weakening. For the others – the power is invested in the people and the rule of law applies equally to everyone – there are near equal numbers who say it is strengthening as weakening.
By contrast, past Conservative and NDP voters are more likely to believe Canada’s equal application of the rule of law and the democratic power of the average Canadian has weakened than strengthened. As well, a majority of CPC voters in the most recent federal election believe there has been a weakening of the electoral process:
Few believe Canada is immune to ‘Trump-style politics’
Last year, for the first time, the Sweden-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance listed the U.S. as a backsliding democracy. The institute cited the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of electoral fraud during the 2020 election as causes for concern.
This is the overwhelming majority opinion across the country and all demographics (see detailed tables).
Across the political spectrum, at least three-quarters of all partisans believe Canada is vulnerable to Trump-style politics. Those who voted Bloc in the fall are the most likely to believe Canada is immune to Trump’s brand of populism at one-in-five (21%):
Part Three: Canadians disagree over quality of their system of government
Despite much concern over the strength of the country’s pillars of democracy, Canadians are more positive than negative when it comes to their place in the nation overall. Seven-in-ten (71%) say they are proud to live in Canada and three-in-five (63%) believe Canadian society is “caring”. Where there is more division is on Canada’s system of government: equal numbers believe it’s good (42%) as believe it’s not (45%):
ARI asked Canadians similar questions in 2016. Since then, fewer believe Canadian society is caring, while more believe Canada is prosperous. Canadians were similarly divided, then, on whether or not Canada’s system of government is good:
Residents in Alberta and Saskatchewan are the most likely to disagree that Canada’s system of government is good at three-in-five (61%). Those in Quebec (45%) and Atlantic Canada (48%) are more likely to say Canada’s system of government works, but in both those regions there are approaching two-in-five who disagree:
Young Canadians more disillusioned with government
Overall, younger Canadians are much more critical of Canadian society and government than their older peers. Three-in-ten men and women under the age of 35 say it’s accurate that Canada has a good system of government compared to half (50%) of men and three-in-five (59%) of women aged 55 and older who say the same.
As well, fewer than half (47%) of 18- to 34-year-old men say they are proud to live in Canada. For every other demographic, at least two-thirds say so:
Non-Liberal voters more likely to take issue with Canada’s system of government
As the Liberals continue to hold power in a minority parliament, seven-in-ten (69%) of those who voted for the party last fall say they are satisfied with Canada’s system of government. There is not the same level of agreement for those who voted for Canada’s other major parties.
A majority (69%) of past Conservative voters say it’s inaccurate that Canada has a good system of government, and they are joined by two-in-five (42%) past NDP voters and one-third (33%) of those who voted for the Bloc:
Survey Methodology:
The Angus Reid Institute conducted an online survey from Jan. 27-31, 2022 among a representative randomized sample of 1,620 Canadian adults who are members of Angus Reid Forum. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.The survey was self-commissioned and paid for by ARI.
For detailed results by age, gender, region, education, and other demographics, click here.
To read the full report, including detailed tables and methodology, click here.
To read the questionnaire in English and French, click here.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democrats who control both chambers of the Virginia legislature are hoping to make good on promises made on the campaign trail, including becoming the first Southern state to expand constitutional protections for abortion access.
The House Privileges and Elections Committee advanced three proposed constitutional amendments Wednesday, including a measure to protect reproductive rights. Its members also discussed measures to repeal a now-defunct state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and ways to revise Virginia’s process to restore voting rights for people who served time for felony crimes.
“This meeting was an important next step considering the moment in history we find ourselves in,” Democratic Del. Cia Price, the committee chair, said during a news conference. “We have urgent threats to our freedoms that could impact constituents in all of the districts we serve.”
The at-times raucous meeting will pave the way for the House and Senate to take up the resolutions early next year after lawmakers tabled the measures last January. Democrats previously said the move was standard practice, given that amendments are typically introduced in odd-numbered years. But Republican Minority Leader Todd Gilbert said Wednesday the committee should not have delved into the amendments before next year’s legislative session. He said the resolutions, particularly the abortion amendment, need further vetting.
“No one who is still serving remembers it being done in this way ever,” Gilbert said after the meeting. “Certainly not for something this important. This is as big and weighty an issue as it gets.”
The Democrats’ legislative lineup comes after Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, to the dismay of voting-rights advocates, rolled back a process to restore people’s civil rights after they completed sentences for felonies. Virginia is the only state that permanently bans anyone convicted of a felony from voting unless a governor restores their rights.
“This amendment creates a process that is bounded by transparent rules and criteria that will apply to everybody — it’s not left to the discretion of a single individual,” Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, the patron of the voting rights resolution, which passed along party lines, said at the news conference.
Though Democrats have sparred with the governor over their legislative agenda, constitutional amendments put forth by lawmakers do not require his signature, allowing the Democrat-led House and Senate to bypass Youngkin’s blessing.
Instead, the General Assembly must pass proposed amendments twice in at least two years, with a legislative election sandwiched between each statehouse session. After that, the public can vote by referendum on the issues. The cumbersome process will likely hinge upon the success of all three amendments on Democrats’ ability to preserve their edge in the House and Senate, where they hold razor-thin majorities.
It’s not the first time lawmakers have attempted to champion the three amendments. Republicans in a House subcommittee killed a constitutional amendment to restore voting rights in 2022, a year after the measure passed in a Democrat-led House. The same subcommittee also struck down legislation supporting a constitutional amendment to repeal an amendment from 2006 banning marriage equality.
On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers voted 16-5 in favor of legislation protecting same-sex marriage, with four Republicans supporting the resolution.
“To say the least, voters enacted this (amendment) in 2006, and we have had 100,000 voters a year become of voting age since then,” said Del. Mark Sickles, who sponsored the amendment as one of the first openly gay men serving in the General Assembly. “Many people have changed their opinions of this as the years have passed.”
A constitutional amendment protecting abortion previously passed the Senate in 2023 but died in a Republican-led House. On Wednesday, the amendment passed on party lines.
If successful, the resolution proposed by House Majority Leader Charniele Herring would be part of a growing trend of reproductive rights-related ballot questions given to voters. Since 2022, 18 questions have gone before voters across the U.S., and they have sided with abortion rights advocates 14 times.
The voters have approved constitutional amendments ensuring the right to abortion until fetal viability in nine states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Ohio and Vermont. Voters also passed a right-to-abortion measure in Nevada in 2024, but it must be passed again in 2026 to be added to the state constitution.
As lawmakers debated the measure, roughly 18 members spoke. Mercedes Perkins, at 38 weeks pregnant, described the importance of women making decisions about their own bodies. Rhea Simon, another Virginia resident, anecdotally described how reproductive health care shaped her life.
Then all at once, more than 50 people lined up to speak against the abortion amendment.
“Let’s do the compassionate thing and care for mothers and all unborn children,” resident Sheila Furey said.
The audience gave a collective “Amen,” followed by a round of applause.
___
Associated Press writer Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, contributed to this report.
___
Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative.
NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, putting him in charge of a massive agency that oversees everything from drug, vaccine and food safety to medical research and the social safety net programs Medicare and Medicaid.
“For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site announcing the appointment. Kennedy, he said, would “Make America Great and Healthy Again!”
Kennedy, a former Democrat who ran as an independent in this year’s presidential race, abandoned his bid after striking a deal to give Trump his endorsement with a promise to have a role in health policy in the administration.
He and Trump have since become good friends, with Kennedy frequently receiving loud applause at Trump’s rallies.
The expected appointment was first reported by Politico Thursday.
A longtime vaccine skeptic, Kennedy is an attorney who has built a loyal following over several decades of people who admire his lawsuits against major pesticide and pharmaceutical companies. He has pushed for tighter regulations around the ingredients in foods.
With the Trump campaign, he worked to shore up support among young mothers in particular, with his message of making food healthier in the U.S., promising to model regulations imposed in Europe. In a nod to Trump’s original campaign slogan, he named the effort “Make America Healthy Again.”
It remains unclear how that will square with Trump’s history of deregulation of big industries, including food. Trump pushed for fewer inspections of the meat industry, for example.
Kennedy’s stance on vaccines has also made him a controversial figure among Democrats and some Republicans, raising question about his ability to get confirmed, even in a GOP-controlled Senate. Kennedy has espoused misinformation around the safety of vaccines, including pushing a totally discredited theory that childhood vaccines cause autism.
He also has said he would recommend removing fluoride from drinking water. The addition of the material has been cited as leading to improved dental health.
HHS has more than 80,000 employees across the country. It houses the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Medicare and Medicaid programs and the National Institutes of Health.
Kennedy’s anti-vaccine nonprofit group, Children’s Health Defense, currently has a lawsuit pending against a number of news organizations, among them The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy took leave from the group when he announced his run for president but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — In a Cypriot National Guard camp, Ukrainians are being trained on how to identify, locate and dispose of landmines and other unexploded munitions that litter huge swaths of their country, killing and maiming hundreds of people, including children.
Analysts say Ukraine is among the countries that are the most affected by landmines and discarded explosives, as a result of Russia’s ongoing war.
According to U.N. figures, some 399 people have been killed and 915 wounded from landmines and other munitions since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, equal to the number of casualties reported from 2014-2021. More than 1 in 10 of those casualties have been children.
The economic impact is costing billions to the Ukrainian economy. Landmines and other munitions are preventing the sowing of 5 million hectares, or 10%, of the country’s agricultural land.
Cyprus stepped up to offer its facilities as part of the European Union’s Military Assistance Mission to Ukraine. So far, almost 100 Ukrainian armed forces personnel have taken part in three training cycles over the last two years, said Cyprus Foreign Ministry spokesperson Theodoros Gotsis.
“We are committed to continuing this support for as long as it takes,” Gotsis told the Associated Press, adding that the Cyprus government has covered the 250,000 euro ($262,600) training cost.
Cyprus opted to offer such training owing to its own landmine issues dating back five decades when the island nation was ethnically divided when Turkey invaded following a coup that sought union with Greece. The United Nations has removed some 27,000 landmines from a buffer zone that cuts across the island, but minefields remain on either side. The Cypriot government says it has disposed of all anti-personnel mines in line with its obligations under an international treaty that bans the use of such munitions.
In Cyprus, Ukrainians undergo rigorous theoretical and practical training over a five-week Basic Demining and Clearance course that includes instruction on distinguishing and safely handling landmines and other explosive munitions, such as rockets, 155 mm artillery shells, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar shells.
Theoretical training uses inert munitions identical to the actual explosives.
Most of the course is comprised of hands-on training focusing on the on-site destruction of unexploded munitions using explosives, the chief training officer told the Associated Press. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he’s not authorized to disclose his identity for security reasons.
“They’re trained on ordnance disposal using real explosives,” the officer said. “That will be the trainees’ primary task when they return.”
Cypriot officials said the Ukrainian trainees did not want to be either interviewed or photographed.
Defusing discarded munitions or landmines in areas where explosive charges can’t be used — for instance, near a hospital — is not part of this course because that’s the task of highly trained teams of disposal experts whose training can last as long as eight months, the officer said.
Trainees, divided into groups of eight, are taught how to operate metal detectors and other tools for detecting munitions like prodders — long, thin rods which are used to gently probe beneath the ground’s surface in search of landmines and other explosive ordnance.
Another tool is a feeler, a rod that’s used to detect booby-trapped munitions. There are many ways to booby-trap such munitions, unlike landmines which require direct pressure to detonate.
“Booby-trapped munitions are a widespread phenomenon in Ukraine,” the chief training officer explained.
Training, primarily conducted by experts from other European Union countries, takes place both in forested and urban areas at different army camps and follows strict safety protocols.
The short, intense training period keeps the Ukrainians focused.
“You see the interest they show during instruction: they ask questions, they want to know what mistakes they’ve made and the correct way of doing it,” the officer said.
Humanitarian data and analysis group ACAPS said in a Jan. 2024 report that 174,000 sq. kilometers (67,182 sq. miles) or nearly 29% of Ukraine’s territory needs to be surveyed for landmines and other explosive ordnance.
More than 10 million people are said to live in areas where demining action is needed.
Since 2022, Russian forces have used at least 13 types of anti-personnel mines, which target people. Russia never signed the 1997 Ottawa Convention banning the use of anti-personnel mines, but the use of such mines is nonetheless considered a violation of its obligations under international law.
Russia also uses 13 types of anti-tank mines.
The International Campaign to Ban Landmines said in its 2023 Landmine Monitor report that Ukrainian government forces may have also used antipersonnel landmines in contravention of the Mine Ban Treaty in and around the city of Izium during 2022, when the city was under Russian control.
